1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to containers for holding plants, and, more particularly, to a plant starter apparatus which provides a plant seedling with light from a multiplicity of directions to ensure vertical growth of the plant.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
When starting a plant from seed, adequate amounts of water and nutrients are required in order for the seed to germinate. Once the plant seed germinates, the seedling additionally requires sunlight, or a suitable source of artificial light, in order to continue growing.
Various devices and apparatus have been developed in order to more advantageously grow and cultivate plants. These devices and apparatus vary from elaborate, expensive structures utilized for commercial agricultural applications to quite simple devices, such as those utilized by hobbyists.
For example a hobbyist may merely place a container holding soil and a plant seed near a window and periodically provide water to the plant seed. However, when positioned proximate to a window, upon germination, the plant seedling receives sunlight from only that side which faces the window, causing angular growth of the seedling as the plant grows towards the sunlight. In order to minimize this effect, the container holding the plant and the plant must be periodically rotated. Even when the plant and container are rotated as frequently as one or more times per day, the seedling still grows crookedly, thereby preventing optimum growth of the plant.
An artificial light source may be used to minimize the non-vertical growth. Over time, this becomes an expensive means to minimize this non-vertical growth.
Many greenhouse-type constructions are known in the art to aid in the cultivation and growth of plants. Greenhouse-type constructions are advantageous in that a plant positioned in the greenhouse receives, throughout each day, sunlight from many directions.
One such example of a greenhouse-type structure utilized to cultivate plant cultures is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,369 to Posnansky et al. Disclosed therein is a greenhouse-type construction which includes a covering device comprised of a large number of pivotable parabolic reflectors to prevent overheating of the interior of the construction. The parabolic reflectors block sunlight from reaching plants positioned within the greenhouse construction, and transfer heat generated by the sunlight which strikes the parabolic reflectors to a heat carrier which carries away the heat.
Other enclosure structures have been developed which utilize parabolic reflectors, although the structures are not utilized for the cultivation of plants. Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,654 to Culling is a solar heating apparatus which concentrates solar energy on a very small area, and is utilized to melt or heat an object. The apparatus includes a housing having a portion thereof which is parabolical to direct light towards the object. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,958 to Heden discloses a building construction which traps heat generated by sunlight. Sunlight is caused to be reflected onto a heat accumulator which stores heat when the sun is shining, and which allows that heat to be utilized at later periods of time when sunlight is not available.
The cost of virtually all greenhouse-type constructions preclude their use by most hobbyists.
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive device to provide a plant seedling with light from a multiplicity of directions to allow the seedling to achieve vertical and healthy growth.